Fantasy Football Rankings: Quarterbacks (Update)
By Matt Rogers
Fantasy Football Rankings: Quarterbacks, after Preseason Week 2. These rankings are submitted by Matt Rogers, FantasyCPR Editor, to FantasyPros. The results are based on career to date and 2015-2016 statistics, as well as 2016-2017 expectations of the writer.
The second week of preseason games concluded this past weekend, and we continue to evaluate player rankings and prepare for your Fantasy Football Draft day(s). I recently updated my submitted ‘Expert’ Fantasy Football rankings to FantasyPros, and this article presents the Quarterback results, as well as an explanation for several of the ranking change decisions.
Before we go into detail, here are my top 36 QB draft rankings, after week 2 of the NFL Preseason, along with a comparison to the FantasyPros Expert Consensus Ranking and Average Draft Position so far this year:
2016 Fantasy Football Rankings powered by FantasyProsECR ™ – Expert Consensus Rankings
ADP – Average Draft Position
Next: Top QB Risers
Top QB Risers
Mark Sanchez, aka ‘butt fumble’, got a short glimpse of what it would be like to start a football game for a reigning Super Bowl Champion, Denver Broncos. Unfortunately for Sanchez, the Broncos also got a glimpse of what it would be like for Mark to start for them, and (not surprisingly) they not impressed. In Mark’s first pre-season start, he did throw a touchdown. But Demaryius Thomas waited in the end zone for the ball, like a punt returner waiting for a punt, after badly beating the Bears CB. Shockingly, after the the Bears game, I read several articles about Sanchez displaying potential to be a starter. However, Mark followed up his week 1 performance with two fumbles and no touchdowns. Quickly after the game, Trevor Siemian (30) was named starter for the 3rd preseason game, and is rumored to be in competition with Paxton Lynch, NOT Sanchez. Well, that was fast. With the former Northwestern QB now at the helm for the Broncos, it seemed like a good time to promote Siemian (up 4 spots to 30th) in the rankings, and demote Sanchez. I no longer have Mark in my rankings, as it’s likely he’ll be 3rd in the QB depth chart for the Broncos, and I suspect he’s even at risk of making the team. For once, I can say…great trade Eagles!
I have been down on Tony Romo (19) for over a year now, and so far I’m still skeptical for the 2016 season. Yes, we’re not going to see much of Romo until the start of the season. Tony is a proven veteran and shatters like glass when hit by a D-lineman. However, until now, it seemed like he continus to be the Cowboys best option. The Cowboys will likely trot Romo out to the field regardless of his health. Then, I watched Dak Prescott (33) for two weeks. Prescott has 338 yards, 4 touchdowns, and 0 INT’s after two preseason games. Keep in mind, quarterbacks do not complete a full preseason game, so his yardage is impressive, for only playing a couple of quarters each time. As a rookie, I was also expecting Dak to make more mistakes than we’ve seen. He did have one pick called back on a penalty, but that happens to the best of them. It’s obviously too early to get excited about Prescott. We’ve seen plenty of young QB’s in the past flash during preseason only to flunk later in the regular season. However, with Romo aging and continuously looking fragile, he’s worth keeping you eye on, and drafting in deep leagues with two QB starters.
One other note, the former Pitt Panther stand-out Tyler Boyd looks like he could become a great compliment to A.J. Green. Green is already a top fantasy WR option. If Boyd continues to progress toward his high upside, Andy Dalton (14) could become a top 10 QB. Dalton has been a solid fantasy football performer in prior years, and he’s a fantastic backup QB for your team in 2016. He’s well-worth a mid-round flier.
Next: Top QB Fallers
Top QB Fallers
I have been high on Jameis Winston (22) and considered Winston as a rookie keeper heading into the 2016 season. Winston has the body and athleticism to do well in the NFL. Also, Jameis is a proven leader and already won a championship with the Florida State Seminoles. I still consider Winston a sleeper option at QB, as he’s sure to start for the Buccaneers and has enormous upside. However, so far this preseason, Jameis has looked horrendous. Winston dropped 20 lbs over the offseason, and Tampa Bay has encouraged Winston to push himself beyond his performance as a pro thus far. There are potential signs that Winston and the Bucs are trying to force too much change. Even though it’s only preseason, Jameis looks anxious in the pocket already, and is forcing his throws. I’m sure he’ll settle down later in the season, but leading up to September, it feels like Winston is stumbling out of the gate. On Saturday night against the Jaguars, Jameis was 3-for-10 with one touchdown and one interception. His pass to Mike Evans, for the TD, was a great one, but outside of that pass, Winston has looked shaky, at best. Instead of ‘reaching’ for Winston in the mid-to-late rounds, I would hang on and pick him late as a backup QB.
While Kirk Cousins (20) has climbed a spot, that was solely due to Winston’s fall. However, if you’re considering Cousins, continue to keep an eye on the Redskins receivers during the preseason. It already appears Josh Doctson has an injury impacting him into the season. Josh has been mysteriously out for quite some time with an Achilles injury that no one in Ashburn, including Josh, wants to discuss. Cousins still has some decent threats to target each week, including a home run option with DJax, and one of the best TE’s in the league, Jordan Reed. However, Jackson and Reed have each had injuries plague their career, and Cousins options now seem to fall of a cliff if they’re on the sidelines.
We’ve already talked about our skepticism of Romo, let’s add the San Francisco 49er QB position to the nervous pile. I would stay away form a 9er QB until we know what Kelly is going to stick to in 2016. For the 49ers, Kaepernick has the greatest upside with Kelly callings the shots in Frisco.